The Bowery Gallery announces the opening of an exhibition of Esmé Thompson’s new paintings. The exhibition will run from March 1 – 26, 2016.
Esmé Thompson’s paintings and multipanel wall reliefs create a dynamic and engaging viewing experience. Colorful and bold, the paintings attest to a lifelong interest in decorative designs as diverse as those found in Islamic textiles and ceramic tiles to those of medieval paintings and illuminated manuscripts
“Zellij”, 2015, oil on wood, 32 panels, 58 x 86″
Over the last decade, Thompson has undertaken an investigation into the creative intersections of her many influences, forming alchemies of design, pattern, and color. In so doing, she has fashioned a visual vocabulary that is distinctly her own, imbuing each painting with the overlapping and intersecting language of symbols amid repeated articulations of line and color.
Photo of Moroccan tile courtesy of the artist
Photo of Moroccan tile courtesy of the artist
Thompson’s travels inform and enliven her art. She has been a resident of the Rockefeller Foundation and the Bogliasco Foundation in Italy, and returns to Italy often to pursue her interest in medieval painting and the decorative arts. She has travelled to Morocco to study ceramic and fiber art and to Ireland to study Celtic manuscripts and lacemaking.
Detail “Beatus III” acrylic on metal 2015 60 panel piece
The current exhibit at Bowery Gallery will showcase two new pieces shown above: Zellij, and Beatus III.
“Conference of the Birds” is based on a poem of the same name by the Persian poet Farid ud-Din Attar. The artist says, “ I was inspired by the poem and its relationship to Sufism as well as Persian miniature painting for the creation of this painting”.
The artist’s daughter, Molly Thompson, has written a piece that is also based on this poem and she will perform it with her ensemble at the closing event March 26 at Bowery gallery.
Thompson says: “I hope that my work represents possibility; I hope it embodies change. The repeated, interrelated images are meant to allow for a cyclical and cumulative, rather than a linear, reading. The experience of viewing the painting becomes a journey that continues to unfold, reminiscent of the ongoing pattern of organic growth. I seek to make paintings that blur the boundaries between high and low art and that celebrate the work people have made throughout time and across cultures.”
There will be an opening reception on Thursday, March 3 from 5:00-8:00 pm
Bowery Gallery
530 West 25th street, 4th floor,
NY, NY
Gallery hours: Tues-Sat 11-6pm. For more information, call 646-230-6655.
To see more work by Thompson visit the Bowery Gallery web site http://www.bowerygallery.org/thompson.html
And at http://www.esmethompsonart.com/
****************************************************
BLOG HOST: Diane Drescher www.dianedrescher.com
bowerygallery 
This looks like a wonderful show on many levels and am planning to bring my high school students to see it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Really enjoyed seeing this blog and reading about Esme’s intent. It was fun to see the video about tile making with her paintings which are so inventive in the use of pattern as a way to move one’s eyes and to see change. Thanks Rita
LikeLike